Where is the Messiah?

We’ve gone through many of the highlights from the Old Testament, and if you are a cursory Christian you might be scratching your head.  It’s all very interesting—and now you may have a better understand of Old Testament references—but what does any of this have to do with Christianity?

There’s a simple answer that is taken straight from the Old Testament itself: The Messiah.

The Hebrew word translates as “the anointed one”; a savior who will rescue and restore the Jewish people. There are many prophecies of this Messiah in the Old Testament; for example, he will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and will be from the lineage of David. (2 Samuel 7:12–13). He will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), and possess an eternal kingdom (Daniel 2:44, Psalm 45:6–7). 

Some of the prophecies specifically foretell of a mighty warrior who will restore Judah and Israel by destroying their enemies. (Jeremiah 23:5–6) This version was increasingly favored after the Roman conquest of the Middle East in 63 BC; many Jews looked for a Messianic military leader who would free them from Rome’s iron grip.  But other prophets declared that his reach would be far broader, that “. . .nations and peoples of every language serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

And—in contrast to the conquering hero—the prophet Isaiah depicted the Messiah as a suffering servant who would bear the sins of others and die unjustly: “But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53: 5-6)

Interestingly enough, after the abundance of prophets during the tumultuous divided kingdom period, suddenly there was a silence—no prophets for around 400 years. Everything went still with anticipation until—out of nowhere—a disheveled wild man named John the Baptist showed up, and the world would never be the same.

Next time: New Testament Overview